This is how much sleep a child, teen and adult should get every night

A local doctor is urging parents to schedule in extra time for worrying.

The request comes as the start of the school year approaches. The idea is to help your kids get the sleep they need at night, so they can be better students.

It comes down to scheduling a time, in the early afternoon or away from bedtime, when you and your child can talk about what's on their mind — what makes them worry and what keeps them up at night.

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"The reality is most of us have stuff on our mind. Whether it's negative things – things that we're worried about like fears, like the first day of school. Or exciting things like seeing our friends again on the first day of school. We have all these thoughts and emotions and feelings going on and when we save them for the evening, right? When we sort of avoid them all day and we save them for when we get into bed and our electronics go away and everything is off, what we're left with is difficulty falling asleep," said Dr. Innessa Don-Skoy of Advocate Children’s Hospital.

So how much sleep should your child be getting?

  • Up to age 5, it's 10 to 13 hours a night.
  • Adolescents should aim for 8 to 10 hours a night.
  • Adults only really need 7.